Pitirim Sorokin began his scientific career even before the February Revolution. After the victory of October, the views of the Russian sociologist were criticized by the followers of Marxism. Subsequently, he was expelled from the country, after which he settled in the West. Here Sorokin continued his research in the field of culturology and sociology.
From the biography of Pitirim Alexandrovich Sorokin
The future Russian culturologist and sociologist was born on January 23 (according to the new style - February 4), 1889. The birthplace of Pitirim Sorokin is the village of Turia, Vologda Oblast.
In 1914 he graduated from St. Petersburg University, Faculty of Law. Sociologist M. Kovalevsky was one of Sorokin's teachers. Soon after receiving his education, Pitirim Alexandrovich published his first work - an etude on the forms of social behavior and morality. Sociologist touched on the problem of crime
Sorokin's views were formed under the influence of O. Comte and G. Spencer. The sociologist himself called himself an empirical positivist. He saw the roots of criminality in society in the "discontinuity" of the system of social relations. Humanity will be able to solve the problem of crime when it moves to a new level of consent, Sorokin believed.
Famous Russian sociologist
After the victory of the February Revolution, Sorokin was the editor of the newspaper "Will of the People", which expressed the views of the Right Social Revolutionaries. He was also Kerensky's secretary and deputy to the Constituent Assembly.
Sorokin had a chance to teach at Petrograd University: in 1920 he was elected professor in the Department of Sociology.
In 1922, Pitirim Aleksandrovich defended his dissertation in sociology. In the autumn of the same year, he, along with a group of cultural figures, was expelled from Russia. After that, Sorokin taught at the University of Prague, continuing his scientific work.
Social mobility theory
As a subject of sociology, Sorokin considered the interaction of social groups that operate in different cultural and historical conditions. Determining the causes of various types of social behavior, the sociologist must take into account a variety of motives, including the "pluralism of facts."
Within the framework of his theory of social mobility, Sorokin put forward the proposition that society has a complex structure and stratifies according to many criteria. Certain social groups are constantly changing their social status, showing "vertical" and "horizontal" mobility. In a closed society, the dynamics of social life is almost imperceptible.
Life in america
Since 1924, Sorokin has been a professor at the University of the American State of Minnesota. He is the author of a number of works that brought him worldwide fame.
In the second half of the 1920s, Sorokin became disillusioned with the evolution model proposed by positivism. He took up the development of the theory of sociocultural cycles. Subsequent works of the Russian sociologist were devoted to the typology of crises in history.
In 1931, Sorokin founded the Faculty of Sociology at Harvard, which he headed until 1942.
During his life in America, two sons were born in the Sorokin family - Peter and Sergei. Both subsequently defended their dissertations at Harvard.
In 1964, Pitirim Aleksandrovich became the head of the American Sociological Association. One of his last scientific works was devoted to the study of the traits of the Russian nation in the XX century.
Major American sociologists consider themselves to be Sorokin's disciples, including T. Parsons, R. Merton, R. Mills.
Pitirim Sorokin passed away in Winchester (USA) on February 10, 1968.
